eSport – what and where?

If you’re new to the whole concept of eSport but want to get your feet wet then there’s a few things to keep in mind if you’re not used to competitive gaming or gaming at all.
Some games are harder to follow for players who have no experience with the specific game. This article only mention team based eSports as they tend to be more entertaining for viewers who are either new to the games or the scene of competitive gaming.

If you already know what games you’d like to watch but don’t know when there’s some good games going on or where to find the streams, then have a look at this nifty calendar at Abios – you might just find what you seek. Otherwise just got to Twitch and knock yourself out.

Rocket League
One of the easiest games to follow is Rocket League – rocket powered cars playing football in a small arena. Everyone knows the basics of football and the limited number of players (mostly 2v2 or 3v3) make it simple to keep track of.
… but don’t be fooled, it’s harder than it looks! The main season has just ended but there’s always some tournament going on. And if not you can always pick up a player stream like Markydooda who plays with the team Flipsid3 Tactics and is definitely one of the best if not the best in the world.

League of Legends (LoL)
One of the biggest eSport games when it comes to fans and followers. A game in the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre that is easy to learn but hard to master. Same goes if you want to watch it. The current 130-ish different characters can make it seem like a steep hill to climb even for the viewers but don’t worry you don’t need to know these from the start – not all of them are used in the top-level. The tactics of the 5v5 teams are easy to understand after just a few games and then you’re good to go and can go all in. October 29th is when the biggest tournament will begin (Worlds) and that’s a great time to pick up a stream and start watching. If you can’t wait then go for one of the many streamers.

Counter-Strike:GO (CS:GO)
First Person Shooter (FPS) games call for fast reactions for both player and viewer. In a matter of a split second you can experience a player being seen and killed. Two teams fight 5v5 in this skill game. If you’ve never played any FPS games or have a basic understanding of the concept then you might become dizzy from watching the top teams fight it out. It’s a thrilling game to watch once you get a hang of it! Tournaments are on all the time and it’s not just the major teams that makes this game a huge eSport.You can always (seriously!) find some action on the ESL CS:GO stream.

Defense of the Ancients (DotA2)
If you were ever one of the people laughing when a gamer told you how he could make money as a gamer, then you’ll drop your jaw to this one. DotA2 is a MOBA like League of Legends but it has something else when it comes to the biggest tournament – The International (played these days). It has a $20.000.000 prizepoll. Not bad for playing games right?
As with LoL (also 5v5) it may seem confusing with all the different characters the players chose from, but again not all of them are used at competitive level. LoL is however more viewer friendly than DotA2. There’s always some DotA2 tournament going down. I don’t watch a lot of DotA2 streamers so can’t really recommend one at the time.

World of Tanks (WoT)
This is where the s**t goes down if you ask me. I have a soft spot for tanks and WWII – and here you get both! It’s basically a slower paced battle game that makes it easy to follow. The eSport setup is 7v7 but competitive play also exist in 10v10 and 15v15. QuickyBaby is a major streamer that also create a ton of guides for the different tanks so that’s a good place to start if there’s nothing going on in the eSport bracket on WGL. If you feel like watching the 15v15 fights then your best shot is hoping to catch the clan FAME streaming their battles. If not you can almost always find top players like Mailand, Forbidden1 or Dakillzor stream some crazy battles.

My esport bias

Let's be honest for a second. I follow eSport as a whole but I certainly feel stronger for some teams, players or games than others. So let me just get the bias out there before someone breaks their ass on an article.